The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team matched up perfectly in the Blue-Gold exhibition today. The intrasquad scrimmage finished even with both teams winning five matches and scoring 18 points.

The Mocs took their game on the road and competed in the First Tennessee Pavilion in the middle of tailgating prior to the football game against No. 2 Georgia Southern.

"It was a great event and a great atmosphere," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "Our guys had a lot of fun and I think the fans really enjoyed it."

Sophomore Nick Soto (Spring Hill, Fla.) opened with a 12-1 major decision over freshman Zach Bridson (Sandown, N.H.). Soto was the Southern Conference champion at 133 last season, but has dropped down to 125 for the upcoming slate. He gave the Gold team a 4-0 lead out of the gate.

Freshman Marvin Lopez (Cleveland, Tenn.) was impressive in his debut. He posted a 5-2 decision over Alex Ward (Chattanooga, Tenn.). That pulled the Blue team to within a point at 4-3.

Senior Dean Pavlou (Cleveland, Tenn.) put Blue on top with a 6-3 decision over Austin Sams (Fairfield, Ohio). Junior Alex Hudson (Marietta, Ga.) answered for the Gold team with a 13-0 major decision over Jared Presley (Harrison, Ohio) at 149. That gave the Gold an 8-6 lead.

Sophomore Trey Stavrum (Chattanooga, Tenn.) had a 9-3 win over freshman Jesse Beaver (Murphy, N.C.) at 157 while freshman John Lampe (Fairdale, Ky.) downed fellow freshman Sean Mappes (Greenwood, Ind.) 11-3 at 165. That left the Gold team with a 12-9 lead.

Trailing 18-9 with two matches left, the Blue team needed wins to have a chance to pull even. Senior Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) started with a 10-3 decision over freshman Jared Johnson (Jefferson City, Mo.). Sophomore Kevin Malone (Carrollton, Ohio) gave the Blue team the tying points with a pin over freshman Caleb Denny (Cincinnati, Ohio) at heavyweight.

The Mocs open the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 3, with a tri-dual in Charlottesville, Va., against the Cavaliers, Anderson (S.C.) and Ohio. UTC's home opener is set for Nov. 16 against Iowa and Cumberland. Season and single-match tickets are on sale now at the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627) and online at GoMocs.com.

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